Deadly Harm
by Clairisant-JAG
Summary: A JAG Story


Deadly Harm   
  
Commander Harmon Rabb was running late. Again. He just could not understand what happened or why he was always late. He knew he had set his alarm early enough to give him time for his morning workout, shower/shave, breakfast, and getting dressed (he always dressed last so as not to get any of his breakfast on his uniform). But every morning he managed to run short on time, and this caused him to be dashing out the door, and this morning was no different. However, tripping over the rather large box that had been propped against his door when he opened it to run into the hall was not something that happened everyday. Looking at the box he saw it was addressed to him, so he grabbed it and headed to his car with it, figuring that he could open it once he got to work.   
  
Entering JAG Headquarters, Harm headed straight to his office with the large box. He put his briefcase down and began to open the box. He was very puzzled when he saw what it contained and an eerie feeling came over him. Inside was a western outfit with boots and gun belt! The gun looked all too real. Upon a quick check he found that it was real and loaded with real bullets as well, it was a good thing no one had stopped him to check out the box he had carried past several security guards that morning.   
  
It was after he laid the gun back in the box that he noticed the envelope. Harm removed the letter from inside, as the eerie feeling got stronger. He cursed aloud when he saw the signature on the letter. Clark Palmer! As he read through the letter, the chill up his spine became like ice, Palmer claimed that he had Mac and would kill her if he, Harm, did not do exactly what the instructions in the letter said. To prove that he had Mac, Palmer had sent a Polaroid, it was still in the envelope. Harm pulled it out and cursed again.   
  
Harriett, who happened to be walking by his office door, looked in, and with a frown, questioned, "Is there something wrong, Commander?"   
  
"Yes, Harriett, there is, can you inform the Admiral for me that I have to be out today?"   
  
"He will not be happy about that, Sir. For some reason Colonel Mackenzie did not come in today, so the office is already short-handed."   
  
"I am going to find her, Harriett."   
  
"Is she in trouble, Sir?"   
  
"Why do you ask that? What have you heard?" He glared at her as he shot out the question.   
  
Harriett took a step back, putting a hand protectively on her stomach. Harm immediately felt like a heel for scaring his very pregnant friend.   
  
"N-n-n-nothing Sir," a tear slid down her cheek, and Harm felt worse. "She is in trouble, isn't she?"   
  
"Harriett, I'm so sorry, I did not mean to scare you. Please forgive me. I will find Mac and get her back safely, I promise." He quickly put the letter back in the box, scooped it up in his arms and practically ran out of the office. What he did not realize was that he had dropped the picture of Mac when Harriett had backed away from him, it was still lying on his desk.   
  
Harriett went into his office and picked up the picture she had seen him drop. Looking at it, she cried out, and grasping her stomach again, she slid to the floor in a faint.   
  
Admiral AJ Chegwidden entered the bullpen, already angry that his Chief of Staff had gone AWOL that morning, and now that he wanted coffee, strong coffee, he could not find Lieutenant Sims either. Stomping his way passed Rabb's office, on his way to the break room, he heard Harriett's cry, and snapped around just in time to see her sink to the floor. A heartbeat later, his mug laying broken in the bullpen, he was at Harriett's side. Calling loudly for Bud and Tiner, he gently lifted her in his strong arms and carried her to the couch in his office.   
  
Bud and Tiner raced to answer the Admiral's call. Bud went white seeing his wife unconscious in his CO's arms, and Tiner stood helpless nearby until AJ shouted for him to call an ambulance.   
  
************ Harm raced his car to the "western town" that had been set up for tourists just outside of Washington. He knew right where it was because he had taken Josh Pendry there once when he was still dating his mother, Annie. Stopping only briefly at a gas station near the town where he changed into the costume that Palmer had provided. It was a buff colored shirt, black denim pants, matching black vest, buff colored Stetson, black leather boots and gun belt. Harm was not surprised when everything fit as if it had been made for him. Palmer had impersonated him enough that he would know his sizes, even down to the fit of the boots. He felt like a fool in this get up, but he knew that if he did not comply to Palmer's demands he was putting Mac in even more danger. Palmer would not hesitate to kill either of them, he had proven that on several occasions.   
  
************* Alerted by the commotion out in the bullpen, Commander Sturgis Turner came out of his office. He was just in time to see the Admiral carry Harriett Simms out of Rabb's office. No one seemed to notice that something fell from Harriett's hand as they all moved to their CO's office. Following them into AJ's office, Sturgis was just in time to see Harriett coming around.   
  
"Mac!" she screamed as woke.   
  
Sturgis then looked down at the picture in his hand, and blanched! Not one to curse because of his religious upbringing, this sight swept his raising aside. His curse brought all eyes in the room to him.   
  
AJ turned his attention back to Harriett, "Harriett, how are you feeling? Any pain?"   
  
"No, Sir, I am okay," tears were rolling down her face as she said this so AJ was not sure whether to believe her or not. "Really, Sir, it is Mac...um Colonel Mackenzie we need to worry about!"   
  
"What do you mean Harriett?" Bud asked from her side.   
  
"The picture......" she said.   
  
Sturgis handed the photo in his hand to the Admiral. AJ looked down, there was Mac, his Mac, wearing a long T-shirt and nothing else--that could be seen in the picture, at least. It was clear that she had been knocked around and was unconscious. Those facts alone scared him, but the rest of the picture was what sent a chill through his heart. Next to Mac in the picture was Clark Palmer. His curses filled the room. The ones who had not seen the picture were in shock, the ones that had understood.   
  
"Harriett, I am sorry to have to question you at a time like this, but we need to know anything you saw before the ambulance gets here," AJ gently said to her.   
  
"It's alright, Admiral, but I really do not need to go to the hospital. I only fainted. The important thing now is that we find Colonel Mackenzie."   
  
"Tell use what you know, Harriett," the Admiral encouraged.   
  
"Commander Rabb came into the office this morning carrying a large box, he went into his office and opened it. He was cursing about the picture when I walked by. Asked me to tell you he would be out for the day, and when I told him you would be upset because Colonel Mackenzie was also not here, he said he was going to find her..."   
  
"Slow down, Harriett, take a breath," Bud told his wife.   
  
"That's really all I know, he hurried out, I saw the picture laying on the desk and picked it up. When I saw that Mac was unconscious in the picture, I fainted. Who is the man holding her?" she looked up at the Admiral for answers.   
  
"It's Clark Palmer," at his CO's words, Bud hissed in surprise. Reluctantly AJ passed the picture to Bud and started barking orders. "Tiner, get Rabb on his cell, find out where he is and tell him to wait for me to get there before doing anything!" he would have continued but the paramedics arrived with a stretcher for Harriett and on their heels was Clayton Webb.   
  
"Why do I get the feeling that you all already know that Palmer has escaped from prison once again?" Webb remarked.   
  
"Webb! Finally here at a time you can be useful! Get a trace on the call Tiner is making to Rabb's cell," AJ could see that the spy was about to protest, he silenced him by thrusting the photo into Webb's hand.   
  
Webb looked at the picture and cursed. He followed Tiner and told him to give him five minutes to set up the trace. Pulling out his cell phone, he called his office.   
  
************** Harm's phone rang just as he got back into the car from changing into the outfit Palmer had sent him. "Rabb."   
  
"Commander, this is Tiner, I have instructions from Admiral Chegwidden to find out where you are and to tell you not to do anything more until he is there with back up."   
  
"And I have instructions not to tell anyone where I am and to come alone or Mac will die, so tell the Admiral I respectfully decline his request."   
  
"Sir, I do not think that it was a request," Tiner told him.   
  
"But if I treat it as a request instead of an order, then I am not disobeying him, Tiner."   
  
"Sir, I am pretty sure it was an order..." Tiner hesitated.   
  
"There is no way I am taking chances with Mac's life, Petty Officer! Tell the Admiral we will be back as soon as I can rescue her," and Harm clicked off his phone. He threw it into the glove compartment so it would not ring while he was in the town.   
  
************** Webb swore when Tiner hung up. He had not been on long enough for the trace.   
  
Harriett was still there, because after the paramedics had checked her and they pronounced her okay, she had refused to go to the hospital with them. She looked up at Webb's reaction. "Mr. Webb, when Commander Rabb and Colonel Mackenzie got their new vehicles, they both got that Lo-jack system installed as an extra feature, since Commander Rabb had had his 'Vette stolen in the past."   
  
"Wonderful! We can trace him through that!" Webb exclaimed and got back on his cell for the second trace.   
  
************** Harm walked into the town of Agua Fria with the gun slung low on his hip. He felt ridiculous. He could see the people standing around looking at him, but he talked to no one, just as Palmer's note had said:   
  
I have your dear Mac, if you do exactly as I say, she will not die. However, any deviation and Mac dies. Come to Agua Fria, tell no one else where you are going, or Mac dies. Change in the gas station outside of town, come into town from the south. Tell no one in town your true purpose, or Mac dies. Go into the saloon and order whatever you like, stay in complete view of the tourists at all times, or Mac dies. I will be watching! Tell them that you are a ranger and you are looking for the outlaw Texas Red. Tell them you are here to take him back, alive or dead. At twenty past eleven, walk out into the street and I will meet you for the duel. If you leave the saloon before then, Mac dies. The tour guide thinks that we are staging a fake duel for the tourists. Do not talk to her, or Mac dies. Complete the duel just as the tour guide describes—we--you, me, and your dear Mac--are the only ones who know the duel is real. Mac will be tied to a rigged chair in full view of the street, if you attempt to go to her, Mac dies. If you attempt to talk to her, Mac dies. When the duel is over, one of us will take your dear Mac home. Care to speculate on who that will be?   
  
So, as the note told him, Harm walked into the saloon and ordered a beer. Even though it was only 10:30am, he felt that he needed it. He actually wanted something stronger, but did not want to dull his senses.   
  
************ Rabb's car was located and a helicopter ordered to get them to the location as fast as possible. AJ and Webb were going in on their own, Bud had stayed behind to make sure Harriett took care of herself.   
  
************ At twenty past eleven, just as Palmer had instructed, Harm walked out of the saloon and into the street. He spotted Mac right away. She was on the balcony across the street, dressed in a red and black 'saloon girl' outfit, and was tied to a chair. He did not have time to do more than glance her way before the tour guide began explaining to the crowded lining the street that there was to be a duel for their enjoyment.   
  
She invited the 'ranger' and the 'outlaw Texas Red' to join her in the middle of the street. Harm saw Palmer step out from the crowd of people. He was dressed similar to Harm with the exception of the colors. Palmer was dressed all in brown with the exception of his shirt, which was bright red. Instructing them to stand back to back and wait for her to count off the paces before turning to face each other and shoot, she also asked the crowd to stay back out of the way.   
  
As they stood back to back, Palmer taunted, "When this is over, and you are finally dead, I will have my way with your dear Mac, Harm old buddy. She is one sweet package, you know. And that body! I could hardly keep my head on what was going to happen here as I dressed her in the outfit!"   
  
"If I don't kill you, Palmer, she will!" Harm seethed at the image this placed in his mind, but as the tour guide started counting off the ten paces, he forced himself to focus. 'That is just want he wants,' he told himself, 'to get you so riled that you screw up. For once in your life, keep your head! Mac's life depends on it.'   
  
"Ten," the tour guide called out. Palmer and Rabb spun around to face each other, twenty feet between them when they stopped to make their play. Harm's draw was so swift that 'Texas Red' had not cleared leather. It was over in a moment, Harm knew that his aim was deadly, he wanted Palmer out of his life forever. Never again to be able to get to him or the ones that he loved.   
  
Some of the crowd spilled on to the street and someone shouted that 'Texas Red' was really dead! But before anything else could happen a helicopter appeared overhead and two men started rappelling to the street. AJ looked less unusual rappelling down in his khaki uniform. Webb stood out even though he had taken off his suit coat and tie.   
  
Harm paid little attention to the arrival of his CO and Webb, he was running into the building where Mac was. Webb paused to check out Palmer's condition when he reached the ground, but AJ was hot on the heels of Rabb, intent on getting to Mac as fast as possible.   
  
AJ arrived at her side seconds after Harm did, and in just enough time to hear her tell him that Palmer had the detonator for the bomb under her chair in his pocket. Calling this information down to Webb, AJ got down on his knees to inspect the bomb, while Harm was busy untying Mac.   
  
Harm was about to pull Mac into his arms, when the Admiral stopped him. "This bomb is pressure sensitive, if she gets up, it will blow."   
  
Just then Webb rushed onto the balcony, "The detonator is useless, Rabb shot him right through the thing," he told them.   
  
"I see only two wires on this thing, a black and a red," AJ said pulling out his pocketknife, preparing to disarm it.   
  
"The red, Admiral, cut the red," Harm advised. "Palmer was wearing red."   
  
"No," Mac said, "Cut the black."   
  
AJ looked into the eyes of the woman he had secretly loved for seven years and snipped the black wire. The bomb stopped its countdown to death. At the Admiral's nod, Mac jumped to her feet, to be caught in Harm's arms as he fiercely hugged her.   
  
"Let's get out of here," Mac suggested.   
  
"Commander Rabb, get changed and back to JAG ASAP, there is still the little matter of your refusal to obey my 'request' that you not continue on until you had back up," his CO informed him.   
  
"Yes, Sir," Rabb said, and saluted before turning to Mac. "Want a ride back, ninja girl?"   
  
"I think I would rather get out of here a bit faster than that, Harm. I also need to change," she told him.   
  
"The helicopter could not land in town, but will be waiting for us near the parking lot. So you are with us, Colonel?" AJ questioned her.   
  
"Yes, Sir," she answered.   
  
Webb informed them that he would be staying behind to deal with the legalities and would have a car pick him up.   
  
AJ and Mac walked with Harm towards the parking lot of the tourist town, the helicopter was there waiting for them. Harm saw them off and climbed into his own vehicle.   
  
Mentally patting himself on the back, for ridding the world of that sick-o, and rescuing Mac from certain doom, Harm drove off, content with another job well done. 'There should have been a sunset,' he thought.   
  
The End 


End file.
